29 Feb 2020; MEMO: Turkey has reportedly killed at least 309 Syrian regime soldiers and destroyed dozens of military vehicles and defence systems in retaliation for the regime’s offensive which killed 33 Turkish soldiers last night.
Istanbul, Feb 29 (AFP/PTI) The leaders of Russia and Turkey held crisis talks Friday after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an air strike in Syria, as Ankara ramped up pressure on Europe by threatening to flood in migrants.
The United States and United Nations urged an end to the Russian-backed Syrian offensive against rebel holdouts, but Turkey appeared intent on easing tensions with Moscow by pinning the blame squarely on President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
RAMALLAH, Palestine, Feb 29 (NNN-WAFA) – Dozens of Palestinians were injured during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers that broke out on Friday, in different areas in the West Bank, medics said.
Around 134 Palestinians were injured by Israeli soldiers’ gunfire, rubber bullets and tear gas, in the clashes, mainly near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, said the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.
Eyewitnesses said, demonstrators threw stones at Israeli soldiers in protest to earlier Israeli settlers’ assaults on south and west Nablus.
RIYADH, Feb 29 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced, on Friday, the suspension of the entry of Gulf nationals to Mecca and Medina, as part of precautionary measures against COVID-19.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry, said, the temporary ban does not cover Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals, who have been in the kingdom for 14 consecutive days, without showing signs of COVID-19 infection and wish to perform Umrah (minor Haj) or visit the Prophet’s Mosque.
Such GCC nationals can apply through the website of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to obtain a permit.
BEIRUT, Feb 29 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese Information Minister, Manal Abdel Samad, said that, Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, will visit Arab countries soon, to seek support for the country’s economy.
Abdel Samad’s remarks came, after a meeting of the council of ministers over what should be done to ease the financial and economic crisis in Lebanon.
The minister said, Diab is keen to cooperate with Arab countries for the sake of Lebanon.
DAMASCUS, Feb 29 (NNN-SANA) – At least 11 Syrian soldiers were killed on Friday, by strikes from Turkish drones in the northwestern province of Idlib.
The drone strikes targeted the Syrian positions in the area between the Maarat al-Numan city and Saraqeb city in the eastern countryside of Idlib on the M5 highway that links Damascus in the south with Aleppo in the north, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
TRIPOLI, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- The forces of the UN-backed Libyan government said on Friday that the rival east-based army attacked the Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli with heavy shelling.
"Haftar (commander of the east-based army) targeted the Mitiga Airport and its surroundings, as well as a number of residential neighborhoods in the capital Tripoli, with more than 60 Grad missiles," the UN-backed government forces said in a statement.
"Initial reports indicate that a woman was injured as her house was hit with a missile," it added.
REYHANLI, Turkey (AP) — The presidents of Turkey and Russia spoke by phone Friday to try to defuse tensions that rose significantly in Syria after at least 33 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike blamed on the Syrian government, and a new wave of refugees and migrants headed for the Greek land and sea border after Turkey said it would no longer hold them back.
ANKARA, February 28. /TASS/: Turkish special police forces are ensuring the security of Russia’s overseas facilities in Turkey, Russian Embassy Spokesperson Irina Kasimova told TASS on Friday.
"Security measures have been tightened at the embassy and other Russian overseas facilities in Turkey. Special police forces have been deployed in order to ensure security. Turkey is taking comprehensive measures in this regard," she pointed out.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants in Turkey started arriving on the borders with Greece and Bulgaria on Friday after a senior Turkish official said Ankara would no longer abide by a 2016 EU deal and stop refugees from reaching Europe.
Greece and Bulgaria, both European Union member states, said they were beefing up frontier controls to prevent the migrants crossing illegally. Bulgaria said it was sending 1,000 extra troops to its border with Turkey.
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